A series about hair

A series of studies of hair... cool hair. The kind of hair I'm a little too scaredy-cat to try myself.

I started with a large watercolour wash of grey with some orange and pink. Next time I'll try several  tones of grey and more orange and pink as it was a little on the light side this round. As I was penciling in the outlines I tried to erase a tiny bit and wound up taking the watercolour right off. It worked out in the end, as I like the lighter tone it made on the face.

The comb way-over

Spikes and shaved

 

The mega bangs with dark tips

The extra short bangs with a streak of colour

... J

Untitled Mixed Media

I have been working on this mixed media piece for several months. Not that it took me many (wo)man hours to create it, but I would tuck it away for weeks at a time until some inspiration hit me. It's ready to be revealed and I'll write a little bit about it.

I started out by layering watercolour with a palette of olive green, electric blue and neon pink. After the first stage was dry, I darkened some areas with another layer of paint and added salt for texture. I added the network of triangles with white acrylic paint, drew the trees at the top with pen and stamped the raindrops and wheat. I finished off with the pair of cuddling owls, also done with a pen.

All along the way I never had a perfect vision as to what I wanted to appear. I just went with what came to me upon seeing the shapes the watercolour wash made. While I was taking pictures I liked a few close ups of certain areas and now I think I have an idea for a new set of paintings. Here are my favourite close ups:

The Neglected Sketchbook

I haven't been giving my sketchbook much attention lately. I've been spending my time working on mail art, experimenting with my unpacked art supplies and little projects that come my way.

I realized I should get back to it while working on an interesting painting/mixed media piece. When I am unsure of the next step, what to add or when to stop, I take some time out and play in my sketchbook. Here's a small peak at the painting.

I'm finding it refreshing to relax from the pressure of the larger painting and play with pens and marker. I know that the pressure is all self-conceived, that if it's not perfect, no one is going to notice or care. I'm not the only one who feels this strange apprehension, right?

 

Both sketchbook pages are ink, sharpie and pen.

I need to remind myself every so often to PLAY in my sketchbook. To watch a movie and make shapes and textures without much thought. It's the playful pages that I find ideas I'd like to explore further and can apply to other works. So, neglected sketchbook, I promise to pay more attention to you.

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In the Beginning

I think I stated here that I wasn't necessarily going to post my sketchbook drawings in any kind of order. While finishing up, taking pictures, adjusting in Photoshop and adding to my Picassa site, I realized I had a few pages I hadn't posted yet. I think it was probably because they weren't as strong as some of the other ones but in time they are growing on me. They're also an example of my thought process for this sketchbook in the beginning. Starting with just what popped into my head or what was going on around me.

 

Laundry or sketchbook. Sketching about laundry won out. Watercolour and Ink. 

Laundry theme continues with the sniff test and stray socks. Origami paper, marker and pencil.

Using the bleed through to my benefit with another sock and sniff test. Magazine clippings, marker and Origami paper.

This post is about the beginning of the sketchbook but I'm nearing the very end of the process. I am literally just double checking any glued bits for reinforcement and then this suckah is DONE and ready to ship back to Brooklyn. I can tell I'm already going into a bit of withdraw because I'm considering how to decorate my shipping envelope.

 The End.